Printing systems require interconnections between the print head and the driving circuitry. In ink jet systems, the circuitry provides the signals that cause the ink jets to delivery drops of ink to an image receptor. The ink jets reside in the print head and receive signals at an actuator that causes the jet to dispense ink. Each actuator generally corresponds to a jet, requiring that the signal traces from the driving circuitry also correspond to each actuator. Ensuring robust and properly aligned connections between the array of actuators and their driving circuits can prove challenging.
The use of solid inks may increase this challenge. Solid inks, as that term is used here, require heating to melt the ink into a liquid, jettable form. The addition of heat to the already complex alignment and connection challenges in these printing systems has given rise to a new set of challenges.